SSRN
- REVISION: 'Move Fast and Break Things': Law, Technology, and the Problem of SpeedSince computers entered into the mainstream in the 1960s, the efficiency with which data could be processed has raised regulatory questions. This is well understood with respect to privacy. Data that was notionally public — divorce proceedings, say — were long protected through the ‘practical obscurity’ of paper records. When such material was available in […]
- REVISION: 'Move Fast and Break Things': Law, Technology, and the Problem of SpeedSince computers entered into the mainstream in the 1960s, the efficiency with which data could be processed has raised regulatory questions. This is well understood with respect to privacy. Data that was notionally public — divorce proceedings, say — were long protected through the ‘practical obscurity’ of paper records. When such material was available in […]
- REVISION: Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of AutonomyArtificial intelligence (AI) systems are routinely said to operate autonomously, exposing gaps in regulatory regimes that assume the centrality of human actors. Yet surprisingly little attention is given to precisely what is meant by “autonomy” and its relationship to those gaps. Driverless vehicles and autonomous weapon systems are the most widely studied examples, but related […]
- New: Facing Up to Facial SurveillanceThe use of biometrics for security — relying on the uniqueness of your face, fingerprint, or iris — offers the prospect of a world without passwords to remember or identity cards to show. Facial recognition in particular is fast, contactless, and able to identify multiple people at the same time. These benefits could smooth movement […]
- REVISION: International Law and Its OthersIf the rule of law means anything, it is that the law is meant to apply equally to all regardless of the vacillations of power. This is the founding myth of law at the national level — famously forbidding the rich as well as the poor from sleeping under the bridges of Paris at night. […]
- New: The Law and Practice of the United Nations (2nd Ed.)Law and Practice of the United Nations: Documents and Commentary combines primary materials with expert commentary demonstrating the interaction between law and practice in the UN organization, as well as the possibilities and limitations of multilateral institutions in general. Each chapter begins with a short introductory essay describing how the documents that ensue illustrate a […]
- REVISION: Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of AutonomyArtificial intelligence (AI) systems are routinely said to operate autonomously, exposing gaps in regulatory regimes that assume the centrality of human actors. Yet surprisingly little attention is given to precisely what is meant by “autonomy” and its relationship to those gaps. Driverless vehicles and autonomous weapon systems are the most widely studied examples, but related […]
- New: The Oxford Handbook of International Law in Asia and the Pacific (Introduction)The growing economic and political significance of Asia has exposed a tension in the modern international order. Despite expanding power and influence, Asian states have played a minimal role in creating the norms and institutions of international law; today they are the least likely to be parties to international agreements or to be represented in […]
- New: We, the Robots?As computers surpass human intelligence and take on greater responsibilities, should they be given rights also? This essay considers the evolution of the Turing Test for machine intelligence and its relationship to ongoing debates about legal personality and artificial intelligence.
- New: The Oxford Handbook of United Nations Treaties (Introduction)The United Nations is a vital part of the international order. Yet this book argues that the greatest contribution of the UN is not what it has achieved (improvements in health and economic development, for example) or avoided (global war, say, or the use of weapons of mass destruction). It is, instead, the process through […]